City v United: modern classics

To whet your appetite ahead of Monday night’s pivotal 163rd Manchester derby here are some modern classics matches between the sides. Forget Dennis Law’s back-heal, or the five goals scored by Manchester City at Maine Road in 1989; consign them to history – this is no time for negativity! Think instead about Manchester United’s five in 1994, comeback from two down in 1993, Michael Owen’s winner in September 2010, or Wayne Rooney’s last-minute overhead. Enjoy!

Manchester City 2 – 3 Manchester United, Maine Road, 1993
One of United’s greatest ever comebacks – this time in City’s backyard. Trailing by two Nial Quinn goals, United returned with strikes from Eric Cantona and Roy Keane, winning it in the final minute of the match thanks to Denis Irwin’s cross and Keane’s finish. It doesn’t get any sweeter than this.

Manchester United 5 – 0 Manchester City, Old Trafford, 1994
With that 1989 match at Maine Road still all too fresh in supporters’ minds, United’s flying Ukrainian winger Andrei Kanchelskis went on the rampage, scoring an Old Trafford hat-trick to banish all talk of ‘5-1′. It was the match that finally shut the Blues up and allowed United fans to lift their heads once again!

Manchester United 1 – 1 Manchester City, Old Trafford, 2001
Roy Keane’s long-running feud with the Norwegian Alfe-Inge Haarland led to this horror tackle by the midfielder. Keane saw red and was banned for three matches. Keane’s biography, in which he suggested that he wanted to hurt the City player, cost the Irishman a further five match ban and £150,000 fine. Such a pity that Keane won’t get the chance to meet Carlos Tevez on the pitch Monday night, some of a crueller disposition might add.

Manchester United 4 – 3 Manchester City, Old Trafford, 2009
Michael Owen scores a wonderful 96th minute winner from Ryan Giggs’ pass to beat City at Old Trafford. City boss Mark Hughes’ complaints over the amount of injury time added on dominated the headlines, but United’s excellence and Owen’s dramatic winner secured the points.

Manchester United 2 – 1 Manchester City, Old Trafford, 2011
Could there be a more dramatic way to win the derby than an overhead struck into the top corner in the final minutes of the game? Rooney’s spectacular strike was voted the second best in the world during 2011, but Reds will remember it with affection for more than the goal itself. Truly the stuff of schoolboy dreams!